How to get rid of hard water stains in a shower with baking paper – it really works!

 A green-tiled bathroom with a shower.
A green-tiled bathroom with a shower.

These days, most cleaning inspiration comes from the likes of TikTok, also known as Cleantok. We love getting inspired on social media but always rely on our cleaning experts to cut through the noise and let us know whether the method is safe and effective. The latest hack we’re obsessed with uses only baking parchment to shift water stains in a shower.

Who would have thought that’s a thing? And if this viral method to remove water stains from the shower actually works as TikTok says this might be one of our new favourite bathroom cleaning hacks.

We first came across this novel way for how to clean a shower head and shower hardware, through @thekwendyhome on TikTok, who’d seen other content creators trying it out. The result appeared to be a sparkling shower head and taps! So is this a legit cleaning trick? This is what our expert had to say about it.

Shower cleaning hack using baking paper

According to the experts it really does work! Cleaning expert at Fantastic Services, Petya Holevich, explains that it’s the wax coating of the paper that does the trick.

A green-tiled bathroom with a shower
A green-tiled bathroom with a shower

‘Hard water stains are usually caused by mineral build-up on stainless-steel hardware. One item that's ideal for cleaning water stains is wax or baking paper, which is a moisture-proof paper that is covered in paraffin wax and can repel water. It’s the wax or silicone that leaves behind an invisible film that repels not only water marks but also finger prints. That’s why these products work exceptionally well in removing watermarks.’

A white bathroom with a shower and glass shower screen
A white bathroom with a shower and glass shower screen

That’s right, baking paper is the best cleaning product for hard water stains. And it’s super easy to use too as Petya explains, ‘To use them for this purpose, crumple up a piece of wax or baking paper and rub it over the affected area. Before you do that, remove any soap scum from the surface with a bathroom cleaner because the baking paper won’t work if there is built-up soap scum. Keep rubbing the surface until the fixture looks completely clean.’

So forget investing in expensive new products, this could be all you need to wave goodbye to shower hard water stains! You’re welcome.